


Rest & Rewind

by Glowstickia



Series: Echoes of You [7]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Bonding, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, Psychic Abilities, affinity talks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26019238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glowstickia/pseuds/Glowstickia
Summary: After the close call in an abandoned office, Echo and Nick find shelter to take a much needed breather and regroup.
Relationships: Nick Valentine/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Echoes of You [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718185
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	Rest & Rewind

**Author's Note:**

> Goddamn this took a while. Did...not plan on it being almost 5k but ey here it is. Started this few months back but put it on the back burner so I could finish ch2 of Sanctuary Hills haha. Hope yall enjoy~

The light was fading as the sun began its descent on the horizon. Echo sighed as she broke her gaze from the window and plopped down on the old musty couch. It...wasn’t too terrible, but whoever used to live here had mild taste in decor at best. Nick gave her another worried glance while Dogmeat trotted to the armchair and made himself comfy as he draped his paws and chin over the armrest.

Echo hissed as her palms tightened against her bag strap. She let the strap fall to the side as she opened her bag and winced. Her hands recoiled.

“You’ve got a few nasty scrapes.” Nick said as he hovered over her shoulder.

“Yeah,” she sighed as she held her palms up towards him, “guess I uh, tried to slide to home.”

He cracked a smile. “Think you missed the plate.” He glanced at her, “Mind if I-?”

“Please,” she nodded to the open spot next to her, “It’ll take me longer if I try myself.” She waved her hands, “Sorta need steady hands for it.” Nick took a seat next to her and tapped her bag. “Yeah, there should be a tin with a cross on it.”

As he dug around, Echo adjusted herself on the couch to face him, only to bite her lip as her leg rubbed against her bag. Nick pulled out the tin and gave her another worried look.

“Got more than just your hands I take it.”

She nodded as she exhaled, trying not to think about the sting. “Adrenaline really is one hell of a pain killer.”

He hummed in agreement as he moved her bag to the coffee table and opened her tin. “Now, I’m no doctor-” he warned as he pulled out a rag and a small bottle of alcohol.

“I know,” Echo gave him a weak smile, “Still not a fan of them. You’ll be fine. I trust you.”

A mixture of doubt and surprise crossed his face, but said nothing as he poured a bit of alcohol onto the rag. “This’ll sting.”

Echo nodded as she held out one hand, and braced herself as she squeezed her eyes shut. The bite from the alcohol was numbed by the cool touch of metal against her skin. She slowly opened one eye as the rag gently dabbed the wound. Nick’s metal hand cradled hers as he concentrated on cleaning the scrape.

“So, about that...ghost,” he began, briefly glancing up at her, “I take it that wasn’t your first...exorcism?”

She shook her head as her mind was a whirlwind of voices. “I deal with ghosts everyday.” She chuckled, “Course, not in a ‘manifesting’ way...That’s only once in a blue moon.” She sighed, “Granted, that, uh, also depends on _where_ and the history of...things…”

He let go of her hand and picked up some gauze. The rag was left on the tin. “Is that why your eyes glow?” He asked as he began to wrap her hand.

Echo’s lips thinned. Oh. Fuck. _Right._

“That’s why you wear your sunglasses.”

She bowed her head. “...It’s-well...yeah. Like I said before...my eyes scare people.” Her mouth twitched, “I can’t control it. Figured sunglasses would at least hide part of it.” She flexed her fingers as Nick clasped the gauze on.

“If it means anything...they don’t scare me.”

She blinked as she looked up at him. She chewed her lip, tasting her cut, as Nick added more alcohol to the rag and began cleaning her wound on her other palm. Echo squeezed her eyes shut as the sting of alcohol and voices flooded her mind.

 _“Here, I think I found the problem. Ol’ screw is loose.”_ The voice was old and gruff. His name was on the tip of her tongue. Red bushy beard. Balding. Michael-no. Mike. He went by Mike. Two children.

Her eyes opened as Nick began wrapping her hand in gauze. He paused and looked at her. “You okay?”

She let out a loooooong breath as her shoulders relaxed. “Yeah, had an echo is all.” She shrugged, “Used to it.”

Nick finished wrapping the gauze and clipped it. “So, I take it that’s where your nickname came from.” He stated as his finger gently tapped her knee. “Should check your leg too, if that’s okay.”

“...Yeah…” she leaned against the arm rest and rolled her pants leg up, wincing as the fabric rubbed against her wound. She stayed silent as Nick poured alcohol on the rag. She’d have to boil it later. She licked her lips, briefly tasting blood from the cut she re-opened. “...I saw someone you knew.”

Nick’s head shot up as his eyes stared deep into hers. She scooted back a little. His lips thinned as his eyes broke contact. “Who?” His voice was quiet and wavering…

Her mind briefly conjured the locket, but she slammed that mental drawer shut immediately. “A guy named Mike.” She said, almost as soft, “Big guy,” she grabbed her chin, and dragged her hand down into a pinch, like she was stroking an invisible beard, “big red curly beard. Always fixing up something...or someone.”

Nick frowned a little as he searched his memory. “...His kids took me in.” A smile crept onto his face, “First ones who didn’t run from me.”

“The first ones?”

He blinked and looked at her. “Well,” he sighed as his eyes flickered to the rag in his hand, “one of the first things I remember is waking up in a garbage heap. Was a bit confused for a couple of weeks. Folks didn't really know much about synths back then, so when I finally ran into people, they mostly treated me with caution rather than hostility. But the kids weren't afraid of me.”

“I think his name was Jim. The first person to actually speak to me after I got the boot from the Institute. My first human contact in this world. Grilled me for an hour. Once they'd seen I wasn't going to hurt anyone, the other folks in the neighborhood came out to oogle the mechanical man.” He gently placed the rag on her leg and dabbed it, “The man you saw, Mike, was the local mechanic. Gave me a once over, free of charge. Those people, they treated me like a human being. I've been trying to return the favor ever since.”

As Nick bound her leg, Echo shared a look with Dogmeat, who immediately boofed at her softly. She rolled her eyes, but the sounds of encouragement brought her hands to her sunglasses.

It would be dark soon. Besides...it’d just be them.

“Nick,” she began as she slid her sunglasses off, immediately feeling bubbling anxiety in the pit of her stomach, “There’s...more to my, um, ability…” She folded the sunglasses and hooked them to her shirt. “You’ve probably already figured out that it's...touch based.”

“Truth be told, I didn’t want to assume.” He mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck, “But it makes sense.” He frowned, “So, when you say ‘ghosts’-”

“Not always the uh...same kind as what we fought in the office.” She looked down at her hands, “They are...sorta ghosts in a sense. For as long as I could remember, I’ve just, always gotten these brief glimpses in the past. Sounds, flashes....echoes of memories doused with emotions that happened so long ago, sometimes it feels like I’m just...living two worlds at once always crossing paths and mingling between the fine line of now and the past.”

She shrugged. “It...gets kinda hard to navigate both at the same time. Landmarks change, sometimes it's like I’m walking in the daylight enjoying a game with someone I never met, but know in my gut that...the ‘script’ I’m reading, they’re my best friend or coworker or buddy of some kind. The next thing I know, it's well past midnight and I’m looking over metal rooftops on a sleeping city...”

“Huh,” he clasped the gauze to her leg, “...that’s not too tight is it?”

She stared at him briefly, before scooting in her seat to flex her leg a little. “No...though it’ll probably start slipping after too long.” She tugged her pants’ leg down, careful not to catch the gauze. “Ya know with gravity and what not.”

“True…” Nick said quietly as he started packing her things back to where he had found them. His brow furrowed, deep in thought. Echo could feel her own questions bubble and boil, threatening to spill over as the filing cabinet back at the agency rattled. “So,” he started, carefully crafting his words, “you can see glimpses of the past.”

It was a statement and a start.

She nodded. “Yes, depending on how long I’m around or how strong the uh...emotion was-”

“Emotions.” He repeated while rubbing his chin. He glanced at her. “So when you… ‘saw’ Mike-”

“It was joy,” she said as a small smile pushed at her cheeks, “and...relief. Sometimes I don’t see things though. Sometimes it's just the echoes of guns firing after the fear of...trying to stay alive. Other times it’s just whispers of people talking or crying or...well anything really. It mostly depends on what happened.”

He hummed. “They say that the past can come back to haunt ya. In your case…”

“Bit more literal,” she snorted, “but I’ve been this way for...as long as I could remember. There are times when I absolutely can’t stand it, but there are also others where it’s useful.” She pressed her fingers together, “Gives me insight nobody else would have. And well, truth be told, it _has_ come in handy when working on cases with you…”

“Well, that does explain a _few_ things.” Nick said as he laced his fingers together, "So, when you mentioned times you can't stand your...echoes..."

Echo slouched in her seat. "Crowds. Too many at once. Or anything involving the bombs dropping." She pressed her hands to her cheeks and groaned. "It's like...it affected so many people that it's just...scorched into the earth. There's no escaping the effect of it." She blew a raspberry. Dogmeat boofed with her. "Thank you, Bud." He yawned.

"Yeah, no one exactly won the war." Nick agreed.

Echo hummed and leaned back on the couch. "There was nothing to be won except greed." She huffed, as she stared at her hands. "...Thanks for,” she waved her hands, “fixing me up, Nick."

He shrugged. “No problem.”

Silence fell between them as the light continued to fade outside. She looked down at the bandages. “Nick,” she said, a bit too quiet than she had planned, but he looked over at her nonetheless, “I’d...appreciate it if we, uh,” words fumbled out of her mouth, too jumbled and mixed as her mind quickly tried to shove it out the door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Try again. “Just don’t bring up the whole ‘I’m a psyker’, uh, thing with anyone.” Good enough.

He nodded and she felt a weight immediately drop from her shoulders. “I won’t,” he smiled a little, “not my secret to tell.”

“Thanks,” she licked her lips. They didn’t sting this time. “The less people know, the better.” Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the look of a question cross his face as his lips parted briefly.

“Get some rest,” Nick said instead and tipped his hat towards her, “I’ll take watch.”

It was dark out. She could see fine. There was enough adjustment for her eyes, and the stars and moon were out- She reached for her bag and winced. _Ah. Damn. Right._ She’d have trouble holding a gun, not to mention the kickback from it, or the potential trouble she’d have if they came across anything hostile.

“Do you need any help?” He asked, as she dug around her bag. She shook her head as her hands finally found what she had been searching for. Echo pulled out a couple books. The covers were worn and tattered. She looked between the two and handed them to Nick. He raised a brow as he examined them.

“To help pass the time.” She shrugged her shoulders, “The uh, only two I have on me. Can’t remember which is which, but figured you’d like a choice.”

He smiled a little. “Thanks.”

Echo leaned back on the couch. “Sure, I know how boring keeping watch can be...you sure you’ll be alright?”

“Sure, I’m sure,” he raised the books, “I’ll be fine. I’m not the one with the scrapes after all.”

She sighed as she dramatically fell onto the rest of the couch and kicked her bag to the floor. “Fair point.” She laid her hands on her stomach and closed her eyes. “Wake me if there’s trouble.”

“Will do,” Nick said, watching her breathing slow until he was certain she was fully asleep. She looked...peaceful.

Nick shook his head of thoughts starting to stir in his mind. Dogmeat’s tail thumped against the chair but made no effort to get up as Nick passed. He made his way to the kitchen, eyes scanning the room. 

Rubble and dust littered the once pristine kitchen. The table was toppled over, with one of the legs snapped off. Black smudged soot blanketed the upper cabinets while the ventilated hood laid in a crumpled and warped heap on the stove. He hummed a little as he placed the two books on a still standing chair and lifted the table with ease. It wobbled, but with the remaining trio of legs still intact, it stayed upright.

Nick checked the chair. Last thing he wanted was to fall through. Once he convinced himself he wasn’t going to fall through and the chair had not been compromised, he made himself comfy and gently cracked open the books.

The first one was an anthology of Edgar Allan Poe works. He smirked, spying _Cask of Amontillado_ in the faded list and flipped to the page. He scanned the words until he found what he was looking for. “Nemo me impune lacessit.” He read off, keeping his voice low, then shook his head. Should’ve known Echo was quoting…

Curiosity satisfied, he placed the anthology on the table and picked up the other book. Half the cover was missing and from the look of the pages, the book had a rough time in Echo’s bag. It took a couple pages in to learn the title. He chuckled. _Crooked House by Agatha Christie._ Somehow, he wasn’t surprised Echo was in possession of something by Christie. It had been a while since he read any of her work...

Nick leaned back in his chair as he peeked in the living room. Dogmeat’s ear turned in his direction, but he made no move to get off his chair. Nick’s eyes flickered to Echo, still sleeping soundly on the couch. Or, so he assumed with her back turned towards him. _Good. She needed the rest._

When she took off her sunglasses, he got a full view of the bags she’d been hiding. How much sleep she’d been getting lately was unknown. She was an adult and could take care of herself sure but-. There was something nagging at him. Maybe he was pushing her too hard. Hell, Marty frequently requested stops. But...she was nothing like him.

How many times did she sit in the stands to ‘watch’ an old ballgame? What all did she see when her ability would go off?

Nick pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. There he goes again, asking questions he wouldn’t be able to answer without being somewhat invasive.

 _Creeeaaak_.

The house shifted. Settled.

Nick frowned as he thought back to the office building they came from. He looked at his two sleeping companions as his hand reached for his pistol. Neither had stirred, and Dogmeat was a light sleeper… He looked to the doorway across the room leading to the staircase for the second floor.

 _Shit._ He’d gotten too caught up with Echo’s injuries, they’d forgotten to check the second floor. Nick took light steps as he quickly passed through the living room, being mindful to not run into anything as he made it to the bottom of the stairs.

Dogmeat raised his head, ears perked, and blinking slowly in Nick’s direction. Nick put his index finger to his lips as Dogmeat yawned in response. Dogmeat laid his chin on his paws and fell back asleep. Nick shook his head as his gaze shifted to the stairs. They _should_ be able to hold him…

Nick took careful and calculated steps as the stairs creaked and moaned under his weight. Who knew when the last time someone had used these stairs- Echo probably would.

The first room at the top of the stairs was void of life. It was a bedroom, once upon a time. Two twin beds on opposing sides.

For kids…

He shook his head. Keep on task. He closed the door. The next room was an office. Tattered papers, documents littered the room, surrounding the desk with its brass lamp and tipped over chair. _Probably ransacked._ The door was off its hinges and on the ground as he leaned through the doorway. He didn’t...sense anything amiss with his sensors…

The last three rooms were empty as well. Bathroom that stank as _God_ knows what. Bedroom #2 with a large, queen sized bed in the center of the room. A pair of skeletons laid on the bed, clutching each other… And at the end of the hallway was a locked door. He _could_ pick it, but, with it locked, it was one less room to worry about, for now. He’d done what he came up here to do and slowly retreated back down to the first floor.

Nick returned his pistol to its holster just as a man in all black and a wide brim hat that obscured his face, stood over Echo.

“Hey-” Nick’s voice halted as he looked around the room. The guy just...vanished. No one else was there… Just him, Dogmeat, and Echo… Dogmeat stared at him, head tilted as if to say, ‘ _What? Why are you acting funny?_ ’

Maybe...he _did_ need to run that diagnostic sooner than later… His optics were playing tricks on him.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. Perhaps the books Echo gave him would help.

He gave Echo another glance as he passed, and nearly tripped over her bag. Dogmeat’s ears perked up as he stared at Nick, annoyed that he was woken again. Nick sighed and got down on his knees to return Echo’s belongings back into her bag. He glanced over at Echo, who still hadn’t stirred. _Heavy sleeper._

He shook his head, relieved to know he hadn’t woken her as his hand grabbed a well-worn, thin book. Huh. He turned the book over in his hand. A man with a stitched face and snarl on his lips stared back.

**_Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus_ **

Nick frowned for a moment. _Didn’t she say she only had two books? She could be reading it… And it_ was _a classic…_

Curiosity took over as he thumbed through the pages. Handwritten words were scrawled in the margins with ink. Before he could read the notes, something slipped out of its pages.

A photo.

He gingerly picked it up and the phantom feeling of a heavy weight sunk in his chest.

Five figures stood posing in the photo. The details were hard to make out in the dark, but despite lack of the long facial scar on her right cheek, there was no doubt in his mind that the woman wearing sunglasses in the center was Echo. She leaned on a woman much shorter than her, as both beamed at the camera. Another woman stood on Echo’s otherside, arms folded in front of her. Behind the three women was a tall blurred figure. The fifth, and last figure was a man, grimacing at the camera as he stood slightly off to the side of the group.

Nick flipped the photo over.

_Summer, ‘83. Found camera. #3. SEG._

Nick frowned. SEG… Echo’s initials? Hm. Her last name was Gray, and that spirit had called her-

He heard a gasp behind him. In one swift motion, the book and photo were shoved back into Echo’s bag.

He turned.

Echo’s eyes were glowing.

Bright and white.

She coughed, hard, clutching her stomach.

“Echo?” Nick braced his hand against her back. Dogmeat pushed past the coffee table and climbed onto the couch.

Echo squeezed her eyes shut as something we licked her face. “Ah,” she coughed and raised her hand, “ Bud, I’m fine!” She opened one eye as Dogmeat settled between her legs, pinning one to the couch and shoving the other one off the side. And then she registered the pressure and weight against her back.

The bubbling anxiety diminished soon as she turned and met the soft glow of Nick’s golden eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her forehead, absolutely _not_ focusing on how close he was. Nope. Not at all.

She shuddered a breath as the sharp phantom pain in her stomach eased and subsided.

“You alright?”

Echo’s mouth twitched. “Yeah...just another nightmare.” She inhaled deeply and slowly let her breath drift out of her lungs.

“One hell of a nightmare.” Nick said as he began to rub small, soothing circles on her back.

“You...get used to it,” she opened her eyes to Nick’s brow creasing, “What?” she shrugged, “just because I sleep doesn’t mean my powers shut off.” The circle motion on her back stopped.

“Oh.”

Dogmeat stretched and pawed at her chest. He yawned and whined. She rolled her eyes and scratched his face.

“Yes, yes,” she cooed, running her fingers through Dogmeat’s fur and rubbed his ears, “you’re doing an excellent job.” She snorted as Dogmeat tried to lick her nose. She turned to Nick as she leaned back, trying to avoid Dogmeat’s licks. “And...um, thanks for looking out for me.”

He smiled, clearly amused. “Course, that’s what partners do.”

Echo felt heat rush to her face. She cleared her throat and pushed stray hair behind her ear. She’d have to redo her ponytail. The weight against her back moved away as Nick used the couch and coffee table as leverage to stand. Echo chewed her lip to focus on something other than the sudden ache in her chest. Dogmeat’s tail went wild as he boofed at Nick.

Nick chuckled. “Relax, I’m just stretching my joints. Don’t want to, uh, get locked up.”

Echo huffed as she leaned back and attempted to free her leg. “Ey,” she clicked her tongue and gave a short whistle. Dogmeat’s ears perked up as he sat at attention. His tail still gently wagged, smacking her leg. She gestured with her chin, away from the couch, and whistled again. He hopped down and tilted his head. She grunted as she sat up and threw her legs to the side.

“Smart guy,” Nick commented.

“Came up with a system.” She reached out, “Good boy,” Dogmeat’s body shook as his front paws danced, “he was quick to learn. Even surprised NoOne.” She glanced up and noticed the question written on Nick’s face. “She’s...a friend. Likes the Odyssey. Thought it’d be funny to go by NoOne.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah,” she scratched Dogmeat’s neck, getting underneath his bright red bandana. Dogmeat’s hind leg thumped. She found the spot. _Funny...how long had it been since they found her?_

She felt weight on her shoulders as she blinked away the tears that had suddenly blurred her vision. Dogmeat was whining, quietly. She looked up at Nick. He...wasn’t wearing his signature trenchcoat-.

The thought registered as Echo shouldered his trench coat. Fingers curling on the well-worn fabric while multiple voices quivered and choked on their sobs in her mind, but quieted almost immediately as their wave of emotions crashed into her. She could feel tears building, but the weight on her shoulders was...soothing. Almost as though the trench coat itself held some magical comfort, like a warm hug or-. Her lips quivered as she tugged the coat closer. "Thanks," she whispered.

A small smile tugged at his lips. “Looked like you needed it.” His eyes glanced at the open spot on the couch beside her. “Mind if I-”

“Sure,” She scooted over a bit. Dogmeat placed his chin on her lap as Nick sat down. It was strange to see him without his coat. It felt-. She tore up her thought and swallowed.

Echo leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes for a moment. The voices still lingered, but had quiet down to a soft hum. Too many overlapping to focus on, but it wasn’t overwhelming..

“So, I died-” The shift next to her and Nick’s look of alarm told her that was _very poor word choice._ “In the ‘nightmare’.” She clarified, though it did not quench the worry by too much… “It wasn’t exactly _me_ though.” She ran her fingers through her hair, catching them on the band _barely_ holding her hair up. Gods, she probably looked like a feral farm cat. She ‘brushed’ her hair with her fingers as the hairband waited on her wrist.

“It’s never really _me_ in my dreams. Hell, dreaming isn’t something I can control.” The words slipped out of her mouth as her hands continued to work at her hair. “With the way my-um-powers are-” She hissed, accidentally yanking her hair.

“Bit tangled,” Nick commented.

Echo sighed. “Yeah,” her arms dropped to her sides, “just a bit…” she frowned. Did she have a brush or a comb in her bag? Shit maybe-

“Do you-”

She waved him off. “It’s fine.” She blew a raspberry and felt a bit better. “Maddox had a family.” Nick blinked. “The guy who died.” she added, gently massaging her temples, “It’s...usually how my dreams play out. I’m someone else. Sorta like an actor… Sometimes the echoes-memories aren’t that strong and I have a little more leeway. Can ‘break’ from the script. Other times, I’m swept away.”

Her gaze shifted to the ceiling. “There...was a struggle in the office.” She hummed, searching her memory of how it played out. “Mercs found a safe and tried to force it.” She winced as phantom pain blossomed at her hip. Right… “Snapped a pin. Ran _into the desk. We argued._ ”

Dogmeat sat up a little as Nick tried to meet her eyes.

Her stomach hurt.

“ _Bastard stabbed me then tossed me into that goddamn room and locked the door-_ ”

Dogmeat whined. She squeezed her eyes shut. Her nose was warm.

“Echo.” There was worry in Nick’s voice. She could _hear_ it. Pressure against her back returned. Her eyes flickered open. Dogmeat’s face was right in hers.

She smiled and scratched behind Dogmeat’s ear. “Shhh,” she said, sniffing, “it’s alright bud. I’m okay.”

“You keep saying that.” Nick pointed out.

Dogmeat whined again, as if to agree with him. She rolled her eyes as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. She didn’t have to look to know it was red. “Accidentally tapped into an echo is all.” She shrugged.

Nick sighed as Dogmeat climbed onto her lap and stretched onto Nick’s. He chuckled and rubbed the top of Dogmeat’s head. “Hey big guy.” He glanced at Echo, “So there’s no off switch I take it?” She shook her head, “Huh,” his fingers moved to scratch behind Dogmeat’s ears causing Echo to immediately be smacked by his tail.

“Hey!”

Dogmeat boofed and rolled to his side, pinning both Echo and Nick to the couch.

She shook her head. “What are we gonna do with you?” She said, scratching Dogmeat’s stomach. His tail continued smacking her.

“You know,” Nick began, “if there’s anything I could do to not, uh, set your ability off...”

Echo blinked. Her scratching slowed as she turned to Nick. She tried to form words to _say something_ , but nothing came. Dogmeat wiggled a little on their laps.

Nick cleared his throat and tugged his hat down a little. “I, uh, just want to make sure I’m not overstepping anything.” His hand returned to Dogmeat’s chin and began to scratch him once more.

“I’ll...I’ll let you know.” Her hands idly rubbed Dogmeat’s belly as they fell silent. She stared at the coarse fur as her mind grew louder. _say something. Say something. Say Something._ “I meant to ask…” she looked up at him, “do you sleep?”

He blinked.“Well, I-uh-”

“Oh, shoot,” she pinched the bridge of her nose, “sorry if that crossed a line-”

He waved her off. “No, no, just caught me off guard is all.”

Echo peeked at him from behind her hand. “Really? I’ve…” she ran her fingers through her hair, “been curious. Looked like you had a bed in the back, but I didn’t want to _assume_.”

Nick’s lips twitched a grin. “Perceptive.” He scratched his chin in thought, “I wouldn’t exactly call it _sleep_ per se.” He shrugged, “I’ll run diagnostics sometimes, make sure everything's working.”

Her lips thinned as she hummed a little. “...do you need to-”

“I’ll be fine,” he nudged his hat a little with his knuckle, “we’ll be in Diamond City tomorrow. I’ll run one when we get back.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, not fully convinced, making him chuckle. “Alright, but I’m holding you to it.”

**Author's Note:**

> My good bud glitchvault 74 [drew a thing!](https://glitchvault74.tumblr.com/post/627091438018134017/rest-rewind-story-by-falloutglow-i-made-some) QwQ heck my heart. <3


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